The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manipulating rod-shaped articles which constitute or form part of smokers' products. The articles under consideration here include plain or filter cigarettes, cigarillos or cigars as well as filter rod sections. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for transporting rod-shaped articles (hereinafter called cigarettes or filter cigarettes) from one or more producing machines (such as one or more cigarette making or filter tipping machines) to one or more processing or consuming machines (such as reservoirs for temporary storage of cigarettes or packing machines). Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for transporting multi-layer streams or mass flows of cigarettes between producing and consuming or processing machines.
It is already known to provide a conveyor system, which connects a producing and a consuming machine, with one or more openings which can constitute inlets or outlets, i.e., which can allow for evacuation of surplus cigarettes from the path as well as for admission of cigarettes into the path, depending upon whether the output of the producing machine exceeds the requirements of the processing machine or vice versa. For example, the just mentioned opening can constitute the inlet-outlet opening of a first-in last-out reservoir of the type known as surge bin. The surge bin can temporarily store the surplus of cigarettes and discharges its contents into the path between the producing and processing machines when the requirements of the processing machine exceed the output of the producing machine. Surge bins which are capable of being utilized in systems under discussion here are known in the industry under the name RESY.
The command signals for removal of cigarettes from their path between the producing and processing machines or for readmission of cigarettes into such path are normally transmitted by suitable sensor means, e.g., by mechanical sensors resting on and being responsive to the pressure of cigarettes in the region of the inlet-outlet opening. It is equally possible to install suitable monitoring devices close to the producing and/or processing machine. A drawback of presently known methods and apparatus of the just outlined character is that cigarettes are likely to be damaged in the region where the surplus is removed from or where cigarettes are admitted into the path between the producing and processing machines. The primary reason for damage is that cigarettes which continue to advance along their path rub against stationary cigarettes in the inlet-outlet opening with attendant likelihood of damage to the wrappers of cigarettes which move relative to each other. The likelihood of damage is particularly pronounced when a particular group or layer of stationary cigarettes is immediately adjacent to the stream of cigarettes advancing from the producing to the processing machine. This will be readily appreciated since such stationary cigarettes come into contact with successive cigarettes of the nearest layer of advancing cigarettes and their wrappers are likely to be damaged or destroyed after a reasonably short interval of time, especially if the stationary layer is located at a level below a relatively high multi-layer stream of continuously advancing cigarettes.